The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1887-05-26
THE CLOWN BUSINESS.
It has Undergone Many Changes Within Few
Years.


Years.
"Gags are no go now in big shows"
said q clown mournfully to new
York Sun reporter the other day,
'The eternal cry of 'chestnuts' has
killed all that and the day of the talk.
ng clown in the big circus is over. We
are not allowed to get off a single gag.
1t is all pantomimic business. Times
are not what they used to be when a
show had one clown who was the big
lard. He sang a song and after it
nad the privilege of selling his song
book. The last year had this privi-
ege l banked 81, 500. Then the show
business began. to grow into mo-
nopoly. A clown who had made a
big bit would be engaged by one of the
larger shows, which aims to control
ali the attractions. He would find
himself crowded in with several other
clowns, and sometimes there would be
no room for him and he would have
aothing to do but draw his salary"
''lf it's fair question, where did
the clown get his jokes?i asked the
reporter.
''Some he tumbled across, and 9TH
srs were written for him. You fellows
made a great deal offun of the clowns
Ioke. but it's one thing to get off joke
that party at dinner would under
stand, and quite another thing to get
one up that would fetch down big
tent full of people out on the road. l
nave offered big money to funny writ
srs for new gags. They would give
NE some that would paralyze a room
iall of persons, but they would fall
lead on a big circus audience. So,
100, gag that worked we'll in
one section of a country
would be no good in another. Local
sags were good. The clown would
strike place and go into a barber
shop. | used to get shaved SO often
my face was raw. 1t was necessary
% form the acquaintance of barber
Dr. two in the town in order to get
posted for local gags. The landlord
Of much-frequented hotel helped the
clown out. The local gag feature mad
It's perils, however. On night | got of
glorious gag on the mayor of west
ern town. 1t brought down the house,
and after the show the mayor and a
posse of his friends chased me to the
aotel with an ovation of brick ba ts''
What was your favorite eag"'
asked the reporter.
at was crying gag, The ringmas-
ter would crack his whip about me
and would cry in manner that used
TO fetch down the house"
Later the reporter asked each of the
clowns to resurreet his favorite gag.
1t seemed like old times to hear them.
Talking about the ringmaster, he
isn't what he used to be-" continued
Billy, sadly. "You know he used to
crack his whip about the clown, and
hit him, too, sometimes, and talked
in stertorian tones to help the clown
along with his gags. The ringmaster
was very impressive gentleman, with
great command OF language and whip.
There were Robert Ellengham, Gus.
Clark, Horace Nichols, Samuel P.
Stickney. father Of Robert Stickney.
the rider, and many other famous
ringmasters. Now the clown pays.no
attention to the ringmaster, and the
latter does no talking. -
"Dan. Rice was one of the fathers
ofthe old-ti clown. Yankee Robin
son used to make great hit by hav-
ing a trained dog chase him up the
centre pole and pull him down by the
coat tails. 1t was as difficult for a
clown TO get a good song as a good
Joke. Harrigan wrote my best songs.
One of my most popular was Money
Johnny Lolo, Il clown who has made
q fortune. and moves in high-toned
society in Cleveland, has very funny
production that George D. Prentice,
the journalist. once wrote for him.
Sam. Long, once made his pile and ia
now in Philadelphia. jimmy Rey-
nolds, who went to Australia, Joe
Pentland and Sam. Lathrop were
some of the successful talking clowns.
Clowns get from S75 to $3.50 a month,
and some of them save money and
are thrifty, which reminds me that I
must hustle home tonight and do my
marketing,
''One reason why the clowns in the
Gigshows no longer crack their Jokes
is that the tent has grown so large
that they could not be heard. The
old circus tent was what was known
as a 1OO-foot round top with one
center pole and one forty-two-foot
ring. Then they added a sixty-foot
middle piece, and then another mid
die piece, until now the big tent with
five center poles is used in this show.
The ring was REINFORCED by two more.
and then stage was added. A clown
in one OF the rings couldn't make the
people at the other end of the tent
hear.
"a big show now has whole army
of officials, beside the performers.
The superintendent of elephants, the
superintendent OF stables, the den
men, the zebra man-who is the most
frequently kicked man in the show
the ear repairer, the big top men, the
oblong men-these meu are built just
like other men. their names to the
contrary understanding tailor,
the laundryman, the watch repairer,
tho tensorial artists aud the shoe.
maker are some of them. The gentle
man who rings the bell when an act is
inisAed is the equestrian Director.